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Forum Comments on Queen’s Speech
Listed under: News
Published: Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Forum of Private Business (FPB) has welcomed the proposals laid out in the Queen's speech earlier this week, suggesting they could be the key to helping independent retailers through the economic difficulties of the next year.
The measures, which include scrapping Labour's widely criticised plans to raise National Insurance Contributions bills for low- and middle-earning employers and taking a more liberal approach to flexible working hours, have received a far warmer response than those outlined in Alistair Darling's Budget report earlier this year.
Commenting on the proposals, the Forum's head of campaigns, Jane Bennett, says, “Hopefully, the measures outlined in the Queen's Speech will go some way to getting the nation's finances back on track, without jeopardising recovery.
“As the Forum has already argued, the compromise reached over National Insurance Contributions isn't ideal, and will still create a bureaucratic burden for smaller firms. However, it is preferable to the larger increase previously proposed by the last Government,” she continues.
Addressing other areas of the speech that are likely to affect independent retailers, Ms Bennett adds, “The proposals for the right to request flexible working shouldn't prove too onerous for SMEs, providing the employers' right to refuse a request with good reason remains. And plans for a referendum on any future EU treaty is also likely to prove popular with smaller businesses, who resent many of the regulations imposed on them by European law.”
She concludes, “In summary, the speech didn't appear to contain anything smaller companies should be unduly concerned about. However, business owners will be in something of a state of limbo until June 22nd, when the Chancellor will hopefully outline fully detailed taxation and spending policies in his Budget.”
The measures, which include scrapping Labour's widely criticised plans to raise National Insurance Contributions bills for low- and middle-earning employers and taking a more liberal approach to flexible working hours, have received a far warmer response than those outlined in Alistair Darling's Budget report earlier this year.
Commenting on the proposals, the Forum's head of campaigns, Jane Bennett, says, “Hopefully, the measures outlined in the Queen's Speech will go some way to getting the nation's finances back on track, without jeopardising recovery.
“As the Forum has already argued, the compromise reached over National Insurance Contributions isn't ideal, and will still create a bureaucratic burden for smaller firms. However, it is preferable to the larger increase previously proposed by the last Government,” she continues.
Addressing other areas of the speech that are likely to affect independent retailers, Ms Bennett adds, “The proposals for the right to request flexible working shouldn't prove too onerous for SMEs, providing the employers' right to refuse a request with good reason remains. And plans for a referendum on any future EU treaty is also likely to prove popular with smaller businesses, who resent many of the regulations imposed on them by European law.”
She concludes, “In summary, the speech didn't appear to contain anything smaller companies should be unduly concerned about. However, business owners will be in something of a state of limbo until June 22nd, when the Chancellor will hopefully outline fully detailed taxation and spending policies in his Budget.”
